For Honor: For Peace
by WretchedSpectre
Summary: Two men of different skill and power, one swift and master of the longsword the other a master of the poleaxe, his strength was that among legends. Swiftly becoming friends they are handpicked by the high warden to join a strike team to attack Apollyon's successor directly, to end a bloody war that should of ended many years ago.
1. Chapter 1

Sam's blade block the falling sword as he stepped to the side, only just ducking under the spiked head of the outlaw's flail.

"Where the hell is my backup?" Sam growled, resetting back into his original stance taught to him many years ago.

Samuel Lionheart was a warden from the iron legion, he was newer than most, only a few years under his belt but he was one with his blade. Over his many years of service it had never faltered under pressure and had always cut deep, his arms had grown accustomed to the weight of the blade and now he could swing it around with ease and grace. Sam was not a smooth diamond like the others, his voice was gruff and his personality often sparked anger but he held the wardens oaths in the highest regard and thus earned his place as one of the most famous wardens. However, even with his reputation no one was hurrying to help him in his fight.

Samuel had ventured deep into the dark lands with a small contingent of his most loyal men, in an effort to take back one of the outposts that lay along the borders but the outlaws were waiting for them. The outlaws were the men and women who followed Apollyon or craved war, so they now don black armour like she once did herself and never give mercy, inflicting pain and death wherever they go. They were ready for Samuel and ambushed his troops, killing them but not without casualties, only Samuel remains of his march and his fate looks dire.

"Lay down your arms Samuel, you are a brave fighter but you are outmatched" One of the outlaws spat "You could lead us among the blood path with your skill"

"Never" Samuel growled, "My oaths are strong and my sword has not dulled yet, I shall never join you"

"Then die worm!" The outlaw with the flail roared and ran forward, swinging his flail around in a deadly arc, Samuel knew he his longsword was no match for a flail so he tried to step back again to doge but found his back to a wall. He closed his eyes awaiting his death but instead of hearing the sound of his helmet, caving in he heard a roar, thundering footsteps and a scream.

He opened his eyes in time to see a flash of silver before watching the outlaw get carried away, a hulking mass of steel stood between him and the outlaw with the flail.

"You are Samuel correct?" The thick Germanic tone made the warriors words hard to understand but it sent relief through Sam's system.

"Yes I am" Samuel replied "Thanks for the help"

"Don't mention it" The warrior replied, "You handle the one with the longsword such as yourself, the outlaw warden. I'll take the flail"

"Okay" Samuel nodded before readying himself "I don't take to kindly to being ordered but I owe you my life"

"Less talk more blood!" The flail using outlaw roared, rushing forward; the head of the flail causing a sharp whistling sounds as it fell towards the warrior.

Suddenly the warrior moved his hands up and Samuel could see a pole axe in the warriors hands, using the tempered handle to wrap around the flails chain and tearing the weapon out of the man's hands, as the outlaw stumbled forward the warriors fist flashed forward, smashing into the man's face. Unbalancing him as the head of poleaxe arced around, cutting into chest of the outlaw. Screaming the outlaw stumbled backwards trying to wrench a dagger out of his belt but he never had the chance, the poleaxe's spike pushed deep into the man's chest: pulling it out the outlaw tumbled forward, clutching at the fatal wound before the axe head buried itself deep into the man's head.

Dislodging the axe head from the man's head the warrior looked back to the two Wardens who were looking in shock over how quickly that took.

"You two going to fight or should I take over?" The warrior sounded slightly bemused, which kick, started them into moving.

"I can fight my own battles" Samuel growled, taking up his stance while the outlaw did the same.

There was a second where it felt like nothing moved before the outlaw kicked forward, aiming to skewer Samuel through but he deftly side stepped and swung his sword and the outlaws side, it cut deep into his flesh resulting in the man's scream before Sam tore the sword back out and brought it down onto the mans neck, severing his head from his body.

"Seems like you can handle you fights well" The mysterious warrior almost chuckled watching the body fall.

"Yes would you tell me your name? I have to head back and I'd like the name of my saviour" Samuel asked, sheathing his sword and looking at the man properly.

His armour looked strong and smooth, bulky but sturdy. It had to be handcrafted by a master smith to get the look it had, and the strength also. His helmet was a simple one, with multiple holes in it so the man could see out of.

"My name is Thomas but my friend you can just call me Tom" He laughed, sticking out a hand for Sam to shake "I was sent to save you so I'll be heading back with you. We have a lot of stories to tell!"

Sam took Thomas's hand and they shook firmly, already Sam could feel a strong bond of friendship between the two of them rise from this small battle.


	2. Chapter 2

"So who are you?" Sam asked, looking up at the man. He wasn't a giant but he had to be over six foot.

"Like I said; I am Thomas" Thomas repeated, his footsteps making a soft crunching sounds as the dirt moved under foot "You want to know my past yes?"

Confused Sam simply nodded, he already trusted Thomas but it didn't hurt to know more about him.

"Well I do not own a fancy title like yours" Thomas chuckled "I am known for my strength and feats in battle"

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"Well you saw how fast I can use my pole-axe" Thomas chuckled "With it's reach and power I can easily cleave through lesser skilled foes"

"Oh that is true" Sam agreed.

"Now you tell me; how did those two pups give you so much trouble?" Thomas asked his head shifted slightly as if to get a better view of Sam "You are no soldier, you are a warden and a pretty well-known one at that"

Sam felt his cheeks warm slightly from the question and he looked away.

"Well no matter, I won't say a word" Thomas chuckled, slamming the pommel of his poleaxe down on the floor as if to signify he meant his word.

They continued in silence for a while, not a single word was spoken between them as they neared the city of Ashfeld.

"Hey Tom?" Sam spoke standing still so the giant had to stop to look at him.

"That's me" He chuckled.

"Thanks again" Sam continued a small smile touching his lips. "I may not be a warden for much longer after this but I will remember your help"

Tom was silence before he hefted his mighty poleaxe onto his shoulder "Why will you no longer be a warden?"

"Well my over confidence has gotten more than one hundred men killed and I failed to retake the outpost" Sam mumbled fiddling with the pommel of his sword "The high warden will not look kindly on this"

"Bah! I counted the bodies of the outlaws" Thomas suddenly growled, "You'll keep your status as a warden even if it means I have to pull a couple strings"

Thomas turned and stomped towards the city, every third step his poleaxe stomping against the floor as Sam hurried to catch up. Somewhat afraid of what Thomas would do.

 _Three hours later_

"So let me summarize what happened" The High warden growled, the court rumbled in agreement "You lead a consort of over one hundred men to retake an outpost on our borders but you failed, got them all killed and managed to escape alive?"

"Escape?" Sam's anger grew at that "I did no-"

"Then how are you here?" The High Warden asked "I refuse to believe one of the Champions came and helped you"

"Champion?" Sam asked confused but the High Warden waved his question down.

"We do not have time to give a history lesson" He growled "I believe you know the punishment for such a failure and cowardice"

The court once again rumbled in agreement and stood up; Warden's, Lawbringers and Peacekeepers all looked down on Sam while two Conquerors came up behind Sam and held his arms while another took his longsword away.

"Samuel Lionheart, I hereby ba-" The High Warden started before he was cut off by a loud crashing sound, everyone froze and looked towards the doors as they hung meekly off their hinges, a Lawbringer standing in the middle of them silhouetted by the sunlight from outside but Sam already knew who it was.

Thomas stood stock still and looked over the room as everyone stared back.

"Lawbringer! I do not know who you are but you have no right to interrupt this meeting!" The high warden almost screeched in fury, it looked like he was reaching the end of his tether.

"You are bringing shame upon our order" Another Lawbringer shouted as the Conquerors moved to intercept Thomas.

"No Lawbringer you are" Thomas replied, moving forward and meeting the Conquerors head on. Conquerors are strong, convicted criminals but stood no chance against Thomas. He lifted them off the ground and slammed them against each other before dropping them.

"Who are you?" The High Warden looked down, a mixture of shock and anger going across his face.

"Like Samuel said" Thomas walked up and slapped Sam on the back "I am Thomas, yes I am a Champion"

There was silence for a long time before majority of the council jumped down and crowded around Thomas and Sam cheering and pushing to get closer to Thomas.

"Impossible!" The High Warden shouted covering the room in silence.

"How so?" Thomas replied, he sounded cheerful but something about his tone of voice sounded false.

"A Champion would not save a simple warden!" The High Warden sputtered.

Thomas was silent for a while before pulling out a golden cross hanging on a thick red thread and just held it out for everyone to see.

"Now give Sam his longsword back. I need a private word with you John" Thomas's voice stayed cheerful but everyone could in the room could hear the anger. Everyone started filing out slowly, one of them passed Sam's sword back as they filed out.

"Tom?" Sam started before Thomas cut him off.

"Wait for me outside. I'll tell you the real reason why I'm here after"

Sam slowly walked out and looked back before he turned the corner and saw Thomas walking up the steps toward the High Warden, removing his gauntlets and popping his knuckles as he got near.


	3. Chapter 3

Thomas slowly left the room, startling Sam at how quietly he could move with how thick and large his armour is.

"What happened to the High Warden?" Sam asked, falling into step with Thomas as he set a furious pace out of the building.

"He refuses to believe I am a Champion and has threatened to put a bounty on our heads if we both do not leave the kingdom of Ashfeld" Thomas replied darkly, he rounded a corner and stopped almost tripping Sam up from his sudden stillness.

"What the hell?" Sam asked before noticing what had made him stop, in front of them stood an Orochi and a Peacekeeper.

The tension in the air was suffocating; no one spoke. Sam slowly started gripping the handle of his sword harder.

"Next time you go running off to get the new guy without me Thomas I will drag you back to the hall tied up like a pig" The Peacekeeper growled, her tone of voice told Sam she was prepared to do that exact thing.

"Good to see you too beautiful" Thomas chuckled, settling down his pole-axe and spreading his arms. "Do you want a hug to cheer you up?"

The Peacekeeper looked away and crossed her arms while the Orochi held out his hand, which Thomas shook firmly.

"Good to see you are still alive Thomas" He spoke as if he and Thomas had been long friends.

"You sound worried Ethan" Thomas chuckled shaking his hand "You were a knight too remember?"

"Yes but I decided the Samurai were more along my lines of combat, no male Peacekeepers remember?" Ethan replied, a soft chuckled coming from under his mask.

"Yeah I remember" Thomas grinned before turning to Sam. "So you may be on edge but these the Orochi are my closest friend and ally"

"You said he was once a knight?" Sam asked peering at Ethan.

"Yes he was a Warden but found our equipment too slow so went to the Samurai" Thomas explained as Ethan looked back, idly fiddling with the grip on his katana "In return for them being allowed to recommend troops for the Champions they trained him"

"Yes now you could say I am a sort of ambassador between knights and the Samurai" Ethan spoke up, his cheery tone slightly stressed "It is tiring having to go between the Samurai temple to train and look at their warriors and the Hall of Champions"

"Ah but you love it, wasn't there a certain Kensei you fell for?" Thomas chuckled, prodding Ethan in the side while he awkwardly coughed

"We do not need to talk about her" Ethan murmured, he sounded embarrassed and shuffled awkwardly on the spot.

"Sure" Thomas turned to the Peacekeeper who still had her arms crossed "This is my wife Ceri, she is one of the best peacekeepers in our time"

Ceri twitched slightly at the compliment and took great interest in the floor

"While her harsh greeting to me may sound drastic she was just worried about me that is all" Thomas continued, turning back to her "Sure you do not want a hug?"

Ceri looked up at him for a moment before rushing over and jumping into his arms as Thomas swung her around holding her close.

For Sam this was the most shocking thing of all: Lawbringers were supposed to be almost married to the law, taking up oaths to never marry or fall In love with another so they can concentrate completely on the job. He had heard Peacekeepers were almost devoid of all emotions, brutal and efficient. Here was a Lawbringer and a Peacekeeper showing love and affection for each other.

"You are breaking many oaths are you not?" Sam stuttered.

"If we were not Champions then we would be" Thomas chuckled, still holding Ceri close "But as a Champion you make your own oaths"

"What are Champions?" Sam finally asked.

Letting go of Ceri Thomas picked up his pole-axe and turned back to Sam.

"Let us get out of the city and I will tell you" Thomas replied setting a furious pace once again, Ethan and Ceri easily kept up with Thomas while Sam had to jog to keep up with them.

 _One hour later_

"Right we are out of the city's perimeter" Sam huffed as he sat down on a broken tree stump "Care to explain who the "Champions" are?"

Thomas stood still for a bit before shrugging and leaning against a tree as Ethan and Ceri took up various positions around their makeshift camp.

"The Champions…" Thomas started "The Champions are a group of the best fighters for all three nations but only recently. Originally there were only knights, men and women who excelled in their trade more than anyone else"

"What do you me-" Sam started before Thomas held up a hand.

"Leave all questions till the end" Thomas almost ordered Sam before he continued.

"Ethan was originally meant to be the Champion for the Warden's, for their can only be one Champion per trade, but he decided that our weapons and armour were too bulky and too slow for his taste. So he went to the Samurai with a proposition to help improve the alliance, they trained him in the ways of an Orochi warrior and they will be able to send their own people to join the Champion's." Thomas explained. "Then we had to let the Vikings in also or war could threaten to boil over again"

"We did have a Champion for the Wardens but he has been removed from duty, he has suffered terrible wounds so now is more of an administrator. Keeping tabs on the three nations and possible candidates for new Champions" Thomas finished up "That is why you were chosen for the next Champion, you are the best Warden the city of Ashfeld had so you were chosen"

"And if I refuse?" Sam looked up after fiddling with some of the straps on his armour.

The mood in the camp died down as everyone turned to look at Thomas as he pushed himself off the tree and looked away for a moment.

"Then this is as far as I take you. You are not allowed to see the path to the Champion's Hall" Thomas finally replied, his head rotating slightly so only a few of the holes in his helmet faced Sam. He did not need to speak of the threat he just issued, it was heard by everyone in the camp, the way Ethan had slid part of his katana out of the sheath; revealing a sharp and deadly blade and how Ceri had suddenly become still, her helmet facing Samuel and not moving.

"Well then it is a good thing I do not plan on refusing" Sam said standing up and holding out his hand towards Thomas who took it with a thundering laugh

"That is the spirit!" He laughed pumping Sam's arm up and down with delighted fury.

Ethan slowly pushed the blade back into his sheath and moved toward the two of them as Ceri did the same, standing beside Thomas and laying a hand on his arm stopping him.

"You'll break his arm off if you don't stop" She almost whispered but Thomas slowed to a stop and released Sam's arm, patting Sam on the shoulder.

"My sincere apologies, I just love it when we get another Champion!" Thomas still roared with laughter.

"You like it because there is a feast and only I can match you in a drinking contest" Ethan chuckled which Thomas only laughed more at.

"Yes of course! The food is great and the company greater!" He gave Ethan a firm slap on the back, which made him stumble a bit "Now let us be off! It is a long march and that mead will not drink itself!"

Setting off again they all fell in line with Thomas as they put more distance between them and the city of Ashfeld, a warm winding following them along as a crimson sun began to set on the horizon.


	4. Chapter 4

Trees slowly began to become less popular over time, giving way to stone walls and steep cliffs, the bright sun reflected off the sandy stones, giving the area a sense of divine.

"Where are we?" Sam muttered, turning round slowly, taking in the forest of stone with a sense of awe flooding through his system.

"Nearing the Hall of Champions" Thomas replied, calling over his shoulder as Sam was slowly starting to lag behind.

"You couldn't slow down could you?" Sam panted, trying to push his tired legs even further to keep up with the others.

"No how about you speed up?" Thomas chuckled, also gaining a chuckle from Ethan while Ceri stayed quiet easily keeping up with Thomas's pace without complaint.

They slowly began to decend into a ravine, carefully concealed stairs leading down one of the walls, a thick metal bar being the only barrier between the group and a long and painful fall.

"You Champions really know how to conceal the entrance of this hall" Sam muttered, peering over the edge into the gloom.

"If we did not, people who want to be Champions would not leave us alone" Ethan chuckled, the sheath of his katana lightly tapping against the stones as he descended the steps.

They continued on in silence until they reached a large gate, it's dark steel reflected no light as torches burned steadily onwards creating a dark shadows that danced backwards and forwards in the torchlight.

"Your reception will be loud" Thomas chuckled as he hammered on the gate with a closed fist "So you may want to brace yourself"

Slowly the gates were pulled apart and more torches extinguished the shadows as a large man rushed forward from the gates and grabbed Sam, picking him up in a colossal bear hug.

"Can't….breath…" Sam managed to say, his legs flailing about as he tried to find something to stand on.

"Hey big man let him go he can't breathe" Ethan patted the giant's shoulder causing him to drop Sam back onto his feet as more people filled out.

Cheers puncturing the air as other patted him on the back, there were not many of them but from what Sam had learnt they were all masters of their trade and deserved a great deal of respect.

"Where is he? Let me see him!" A voice cried out as people parted, letting Sam have a clear line of sight with the speaker. A warden in golden armour shuffled forward, an ornate but strong sword hung from his belt as he limped forward, his left leg dragging lightly across the floor as he came up to Sam.

"So you are my replacement eh?" He punched Sam's right shoulder, it felt like a boulder had hit him yet he did not complain.

"It seems so sir" Sam replied respectfully, a slight incline from his head as a gesture of respect to the older man.

"He calls me 'sir'!" The old Warden roared with laughter and turned to Thomas. "You do know how to pick 'em!"

"Looks like I owe you a few coins" A voice rose up from the crowd, the speaker was a raider, metal horns, which look like an expert craftsman made, rested on his head.

"Let us leave introductions till later" Thomas cut in before everyone began shouting and speaking again "We have a feast to attend and I need to get changed for the occasion!"

There were roars of approval as the group all moved inside, almost carrying Samuel inside. He was able to catch a glance of Thomas as he slipped away from the crowd and into a passage leading away from the group, Ceri and Ethan following closely behind him.

 _An hour later_

"A toast to the new Warden!" Someone called out and everyone roared their approval before they drank more mead.

At this point Sam still had no idea how to react, here he was sitting in a hall with people he thought he would ever thought he would talk to in his life, well not in a way that did not involve swords clashing and blood spattering the ground. They were also sharing a drink and cheering his name because he simply accepted the proposal to become a champion.

"Look who has finally arrived!" A gruff female voice shouted out as a door on the side of the hall was pushed out and three figures pushed their way through them.

Ethan looked like he was wearing the normal Orochi armour but it was more ornate and flashy, a mix of golds and reds painting fire and a dragon across his armour. Ceri wore her normal armour, her helmet had been replaced with a half mask, its bright white contrasted perfectly compared to her hair, which was a charcoal black her eyes were an electric blue, flashing with intelligence and cunning. But the one who really caught everyone's eyes was Thomas.

Sam had only up till now seen him with what could only be assumed as the standard armour for Lawbringers but now he wore armour that would make kings jealous. A lion seems to be the theme as his chest piece was that of a roaring lion, golden teeth glinting in the torch light while his shoulder plates were two snarling lions, their eyes shone with anger and aggression; a dark green cape hung from his back as he toward over his companions, he gently held Ceri's hand while slamming his palm on Ethan's back with a roar of joy at the attention. Reaching up he pulled his helmet up revealing his dark skin, he had little hair on his head, almost like a stubble of a beard but in turn, his beard was thick and strong. His eyes were filled with mirth and joy at the festivities.

"It seems like you lot have started without me!" He shouted which caused everyone to laugh.

"We had to or there would not be any mead left!" Another gruff but happy voice responded as a figure stood up, gold and white seemed to be the colours reserved for Champions as this man also wore those colours but Sam recognised the trade he followed instantly. He was a Conqueror.

Thomas walked down the steps, letting go of Ceri's hand as he walked toward the Conqueror who had spoken up. The Conqueror matched him stride for stride as they met in the middle.

The tension rose as everyone stayed silent as the two men stared directly at each other, no one spoke or moved. Suddenly Thomas grabbed a cup on a nearby table and down it quickly.

"Even with a head start Scott I will always drink myself into unconsciousness faster than you will!" He laughed patting the Conqueror on the shoulder while the other man did the same, a similar laugh coming from him.

"We shall see about that old friend!" He laughed, "We need more mead! A drinking contest has begun!"


	5. Chapter 5

The next day was a painful one, not just for Sam who lay half buried underneath a still sleeping raider but for everyone in the hall who had woken up. The drinking contest had apparently awoken the spark for contest between everyone, people paired up and began downing mug after mug of ale, after a few hours they began dropping like flies and the raider currently laying on Sam fell from losing the contest against Ethan who currently was propped up against the wall still sleeping away.

A sudden commotion came from the middle of the hall and a table was thrown to the side as two shadows rose up and stood facing each other. Thomas was swaying slightly while Scott seemed to be having trouble focusing on Thomas. Eventually they raised both raised a hand and shook like two gentlemen agreeing on a particularly good deal.

"Well fought Scott" Thomas managed to say "You have not changed a bit"

"The same to you" Scott replied "Still tougher than the armour you wear"

Suddenly they both fell backwards, the halls echoing from the sound of them hitting the floor. A small figure detached herself from the shadows and moved over to the two of them.

"You always go too far" Ceri whispered gently before slowly pulling him out of the mess.

Sam slowly watched her pull Thomas across the floor, making sure to keep his head still and follow with his eyes. Her strength must be great if she can pull a man like Thomas in full armour across the floor.

"I can tell you are awake" Ceri called across the room, her eyes looking directly at Sam "No need to try and hide it"

Freezing up Sam watched in fear as she walked over.

"Let me help you with this" She almost giggled and easily pulled the raider off Sam.

"I uh... thank you?" He started before Ceri turned walking back over to Thomas

"No need, you are one of us now and today is going to be a rough day" Ceri replied, hefting one of Thomas's arms over her shoulder and carrying him up the stairs. "You have a lot of training today and Thomas is in charge of most of it so rest while you can"

Silence was the only thing left as Sam just stood in the aftermath of his first feast with the Champions.

"Training?" He mused "Why do I need training?"

 _A couple hours later_

Sam hit the floor again, his arms screaming in pain from the sudden impact.

"You're dead again" Thomas almost cackled, taking up a relaxed stance "You need to move faster against bigger opponents"

This had been the routine for the past hour, before that Sam had been against Ethan when it was a fair fight due to their similar build resulting in a mix of wins and losses. Feeling confident due to his smaller build that Thomas, Sam had thought he could easily beat the larger man but now he was paying for his assumption.

The first fight had ended before Sam could even process what had happened. The second one had ended just as quickly but Sam now had an idea how fast Thomas could move and it was at startling speeds, landing jabs, uppercuts and crosses at speeds Sam would think only a Samurai or a Peacekeeper could achieve.

"How do you move so fast?" Sam spat, his helmet feeling hot and sticky due to the sweat and blood pouring from his head.

"Lots of training against Ceri and Ethan" He chuckled "Ethan was going easy on you to gain an idea how strong and fast you were. I will not give you the same treatment"

That stung Sam's pride knowing that Ethan had been holding back that entire time and simply assessing his strength.

"And what did you learn about me?" Sam gasped for air as he pulled his helmet of his head, his brown hair sticking to his head.

"That while you are a master sword fighter you don't know squat for hand to hand combat" Thomas smiled "And that is why you could not hold your own over those two men, they used both their arms and legs to attack you not just their weapons"

Thinking back Sam could not help but agree, during the fight whenever he had the advantage over one of them they would employ sudden kicks, shoves and punches to disorientate Sam and bring it back into their favour.

"Guess I have been fighting old school this entire time?" Sam said bitterly "Is there no honor left?"

"There is honor left and honor to be found in hand to hand combat" Thomas easily replied "You have just been fighting with a handi-cap this entire time"

"Yeah and it is apparently evident enough for people to take advantage of" Sam retorted.

"Well that is what training is for" Thomas patted him on the back "Me, Ethan and Ceri will show you a few simple techniques on how to fight with hand to hand combat but if you want to master it you will need to ask one of the Vikings"

"Why the Vikings?" Sam looked over to Thomas confused.

"Because they are the masters at hand to hand combat" Thomas grimaced "Even I have trouble beating them as their entire fighting style is based around hand to hand combat"

The thought of Thomas having trouble beating them filled Sam with horror, there was no way in hell he could beat them in a straight up fight. Apparently Thomas caught the look and gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

"There is a very easy trick to beating the Vikings so no worries" Thomas chuckled walking away and taking up his combat stance once again.

"What is that?" Sam asked drying his face and fastening his helmet on his head.

"They are very easy to taunt and trick into leaving openings" Thomas laughed heartily "Now come at me, if you want to survive this training is essential"

Taking up his position Sam could only complain inside his head instead of voice his thoughts.

"Today is going to be a long day"


End file.
